Information for the public

About this information

About this information

NICE clinical guidelines advise the NHS on caring for people with specific conditions or diseases and the treatments they should receive. The information applies to people using the NHS in England and Wales.

This information explains the advice about the care and treatment of people with stable angina that is set out in NICE clinical guideline 126.

Does this information apply to me?

Yes, if you are an adult who has been diagnosed with stable angina caused by atherosclerosis, a condition in which the arteries become hardened and narrower, restricting the supply of blood to the heart.

The advice in the NICE guideline does not specifically look at:

chest pain that recently started, which is thought to be related to the heart, or chest pain of unknown cause

acute coronary syndrome, which includes unstable angina and a type of heart attack called non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Angina is 'unstable' when it has developed suddenly, has suddenly got worse or occurs at rest.

angina-type pain thought to be caused by a condition not related to the heart, such as anaemia

angina-type pain caused by other types of heart disease, such as disease affecting the heart muscle (known as cardiomyopathy) or the heart valves (for example aortic stenosis).

You might also like to consider reading the following information because the NICE guidance on stable angina refers to them too: